Straight-frame knitting machine



Sept. 20, 1955 E. E. HAFNER 2,718,130

STRAIGHT-FRAME KNITTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 28, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VE N TOR:

ERNEST E. HAF/VER Arm/Ja 's Sept. 20, 1955 E- E. HAFNER STRAIGHT-FRAME KNITTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 28, 1952 NH 8 UH IN VEN T OR KZIZNFST E HAF'NER ATTORNE Y5 Sept. 20., 1955 E. E. HAFNER STRAIGHT-FRAME KNITTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 28. 1952 ATTORNE V8 A IN VE N TOR. 9 ERNEST E.HAFNER United States Patent 0 STRAIGHT-FRAME KNITTING MACHINE Ernest E. Hafner, St. Albans, N. Y., assignor to Dubied Machinery Company, Long Island City, N. Y.

Application February 28, 1952, Serial No. 273,790

Claims priority, application Switzerland March 9, 1951 3 Claims. (Cl. 66-68) This invention relates to a straight-frame knitting machine with two needle beds, in which the needles perform different knitting movements and are actuated therein by the cams contained within a pair of cam boxes moved parallel to the needle beds, whereby the needles are caused to advance or retract in varying distances as required either for knitting sunk loop fabric, like hosiery or for transferring the loops.

In the operation of knitting machines it is known to use pairs of cam boxes either for the knitting of sunk loop fabric, like hosiery, or for the transferring of loops. Consequently a pair of cam boxes is required for knitting and another pair for transferring the loops, the two pairs of cam boxes having been arranged until now in series side by side. Therefore the carriage-stroke of straightframe knitting machines is correspondingly extended beyond the useful needle space, while the permissible number of cam box pairs of circular knitting machines will be reduced, which correspondingly impairs the output of such knitting machines.

Again, cam boxes are known in which additional cam parts are provided for producing fancy patterns, which parts act upon the needle heels which are of different height, in order to attain a distribution of the needles selected for knitting.

This invention relates to a straight-frame knitting machine having two needle beds and at least one pair of cam boxes, the two boxes of which are disposed opposite each other. According to the invention a plurality of cam memhers is contained within each cam box, preferably three such cam members, and the same are so arranged as to be separately adjustable towards and from the needle bed, preferably being adjustable to at least three different positions of distance from the needle bed. Thus, for example,

when the cam is nearest to the needle bed its cam surfaces may be adapted to engage both low and high needle heels; when adjusted a predetermined distance from the needle bed it may be adapted to engage the high needle heels and to clear the low needle heels; and when adjusted a still further distance from the needle bed it may be adapted to clear all the needle heels. Such cams are preferably provided with flat stepless surfaces on their sides facing the needle bed. It is an object of the invention to provide adjustable control elements on the box pair for coaction with the needle heels in order to cause the needles to travel in their respective switch cams through different distances so as to perform said knitting operations, namely the production of various sunk loop fabrics and hosieries or the interlacing of the loops with fancy patterns, this interlacing being elfected in one or the other of the two transferrin g directions.

l t is a further object to provide such a knitting machine with needle lifters and needle dividers which are individually and positively adjustable, separate from each other, in combination with the customary wing cams and guard cams. The needle heels, moreover, in the range of a pair of cam boxes are movable along a guideway and are disoperating position, and the parts shown in dash lines are ice tributed by means of flat, stepless cam portions the distance of which between needle bed face and effective control element face is adjustable.

Further objects of the invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating, by way of example, an embodiment of the invention with reference to a straight-frame knitting machine, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a pair of cam boxes and a plurality of needles for knitting ribbed goods,

Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line II in Fig. 1, wherein the needle is shown in partial raised position in order to tuck the thread.

Figs. 3 and 4 each show a pair of cam boxes and a plurality of needles in top plan View, when knitting checker patterns or longitudinally-striped goods, the needle heels being correspondingly distributed,

Fig. 5 shows a pair of cam boxes with needles in top plan view, when transferring the loops from the needles of one needle row to the other row,

Fig. 6 is a cross-section on the line IIII in Fig. 5, the long heel needles being moved by means of a needle divider from the partially raised position to the inoperative position, and

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section on the line IllIII in Fig. 5, wherein a cam and a needle lifter are shown in their operative positions and another needle lifter is shown in its fully raised position where it will clear the heels of all needles.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates long heel needles and 2 short heel needles of the front row, 3 designates long heel needles and 4 short heel needles of the rear row, 5 and 6 designate the front and rear needle bed, respectively, 7 are guard cams, 8 wing cams, 9-14 adjustable cams or control elements, 15-18 needle lifters, 19-

to 22.needle dividers, and 23, 24 are cam plates secured to carriage 26. Referring to Fig. 7, the numeral 27 designates a slide, 28 a stop and 29 a bolt.

The cam parts, shown in solid lines are in their operative position; the hatched parts are in an intermediary in the inoperative position.

According to the invention the various selecting and actuating possibilities of the needles are as follows:

is: possibility.-When knitting ribbed goods, the cams are set as shown in Fig. l. The cams 11, 14 and the dividers 19-22 are in their inoperative position and the remaining cams in operative position. In both directions of motion of the two cam plates 23 and 24, all needle heels of the two needle beds 5 and 6 are subjected to guideways a, shown in solid lines in Fig. 1.

When, moreover, the cams lit and 13; or 9, 15, 16, 12, i7 and 18, are brought into their inoperative position, then the needles of the respective needle rows form stitches of loops or do not form loops.

When knitting stitches of loops, the needle heels are subjected to the guideways b shown in dash lines in Fig. 1. When, however, the needle heels are not actuated by the cams, i. e. when no loops are knitted, the heels or the needles remain in their inoperative position (dot and dash lines 0 in Fig. 1).

2nd p0ssibility.When knitting checker patterns or longitudinal-striped fancy patterns with divided needle heels, the cams are set according to Fig. 3 for moving the two cam plates 23 and 24 from right to left. The cams 11 and 14, the lifters 16 and 17 as well as the dividers 20 and 21 are then in inoperative position, the dividers 19 and 22, on the other hand, are in an intermediary operating position. The dividers 19 and 22 thus move the long heel needles to their inoperative position and only allow passage to the short heel needles 2 and 4 in order to terminate the raising by the control elements 10 and 13 and then form loops by the wing-cams 8, while on the other hand no loops are formed by the long heel needles 1 and 3.

The cams are set according to Fig. 4 for moving the cam plates from the left side to the right in order to form loops with the long heel needles 1 and 3, while the short heel needles 2 and 4 do not knit. Then the cams 11 and 14 as well as the dividers 19 to 22 are in their inoperative position, the cams 9 and 12 and the needle lifters 15 to 18 are in intermediary operative position, while the remaining cams are in operative position.

In similar manner tuck patterns can be made, loops being knitted with the long heel needles and stitches or buckles of loops with the short heel needles, or vice-versa.

3rd possibility-When transferring the loops from the short heel needles 2 of the front needle bed to the long and short heel needles 3 and 4 of the rear needle bed 6, by needle dividing, the cam plates 23 and 24 are set as shown in Fig. 5 for moving same from left to right. The cams 9 and 14, needle lifters 15, 17 and 18 as well as the dividers 19 and 22 are then in their inoperative position, while the divider 20 is in intermediary working position, and the remaining cams are in operative working position. Moreover, either of the two needle beds 5 or 6 is staggered the usual way by half a needle division.

When moving the two cam plates 23 and 24 from right to left and correspondingly setting the cams, the needle lifters and dividers, transferring of the loops is performed from the needles of the rear needle bed 6 to those of the front needle bed 5.

Fig. 6 shows, by way of example, the divider 20 in its intermediary working position, the cam 9 in its working position( solid lines) and in its inoperative position (dash lines) respectively.

The adjustment of the cams, needle lifters and needle dividers is effected by usual means like slides 27, stops 28, bolts 29, springs and the like.

In the arrangement described, the pair of cam boxes comprises two symmetrical locks and it serves for actuating as well as for dividing needles of mutually equal length but of different heel heights for the purpose of knitting sunk loop fabrics, like hosiery, or for transferring loops with fancy patterns.

Notwithstanding its simple construction, the pair of cam boxes offers manifold possibilities of use, since the needle heels in every case are subjected to a corresponding and 4 faultless guideway by flat, stepless control elements, which are individually separate from each other, adjustable with respect to the face of the needle bed.

Swivel needles, of which the position of the needle heel projecting from the needle bed face is adjusted by conventional Jacquard means, can also be employed in place of needles with different heel heights.

The scope of this invention is not limited to straightframe knitting machines with a single pair of cam boxes, but includes also straight and circular knitting machines with a plurality of cam box pairs.

What I claim is:

1. In a knitting machine of the class having two needle beds, each bed containing a row of needles provided with needle heels of different heights, and having a pair of cam boxes one for the control of the needles in each needle bed, the improvement characterized in that each of said cam boxes contains a plurality of cam members whose cam surfaces are adapted to engage the heels of said needles when the cam boxes move across the needle beds and thereby to propel said needles forwardly and backwardly in their respective needle beds, said cam members being adjustable toward and from the respective needle bed whereby said cam surfaces may be caused at will to engage all of said needle heels, to clear all of said heels, or to r engage the higher heels While clearing the lower heels,

when the cam boxes move across the needle beds.

2. A knitting machine as described in claim 1 wherein each of said cam members is separately adjustable toward and from a needle bed Without adjusting any other of said cam members.

3. A knitting machine as described in claim 1 wherein each of said cam members on its side facing toward a needle bed is provided with a flat stepless surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 582,547 Powell May 11, 1897 611,862 Lamb Oct. 4, 1898 660,577 Klemm Oct. 30, 1900 1,005,620 Dubied Oct. 10, 1911 1,534,972 Leviton et al. Apr. 21, 1925 2,380,822 Brooksby et al July 31, 1945 2,521,786 Granov Sept. 12, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,467 Great Britain of 1889 

